Le Roux, H.Bakker, Karel A.African Perspectives Conference Proceedings2017-04-192017-04-1920172010Le Roux, H 010 'Coffeemanifesto : sampling instant and slow spaces in the African city', African Perspectives Conference Proceedings, 25-28 September 2009.978-0-620-49356-7http://hdl.handle.net/2263/59966In the inner city of Johannesburg, Ethiopian traders and their landlords have occupied and redefined empty modernist buildings, creating a rich and dense urban market area. The fabric of the existing buildings and open spaces allows an arrangement of spaces and functions that support a community in transformation, allowing dynamic changes while also evoking stable images of home in a series of safe and networked social spaces. This rich urbanism is proposed as a positive alternative to its tough surroundings, and to the sterility of developer led urban renewal. The paper describes a process of designerly research in the area, including performative work, that intends to represent and advocate for official recognition of the ambivalent nature of these spaces, and their transformative potentials.8 pagesPDFenDepartment of Architecture, University of Pretoria © 2010ArchitectureUrban changevisual urban researchSpatial appropriationArchitecture--AfricaConference paper